Has Chandrababu Naidu sent a congratulatory SMS to Narendra Modi on his becoming the BJP prime ministerial candidate? This is a hot topic among the political class in and outside Andhra Pradesh?

There are several questions? Is there a secret understanding between the BJP and the TDP? Is Babu ready to forego Muslim votes? Has Modi opened a back-channel to Babu through the biggies of Telugu film industry? Remember the big names of Telugu industry, including several of those considered extremely close to Chandrababu, calling on Modi during his Hyderabad visit? The BJP leaders have not been criticizing the TDP and the TDP chief of late is talking more of national issues and is stressing the need for a strong leadership. Is it his tacit approval of Narendra Modi’s leadership?

The fact is a section of TDP leaders led by Errabelli Dayakar Rao have already started talking of the need for an alliance with Modi-led BJP. They could not have done this without an approving nod from the top boss. Babu till now has kept the cards close to his chest, but has given enough indications of a political realignment of forces. So, don’t be surprised if Yellow and Saffron flags flutter along side in 2014 elections. Getting back to power is crucial for Babu. So, more than an SMS, this could even be seen as an SOS.

Meanwhile, Narendra Modi is slowly unfolding his political strategy for South India. AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa has already congratulated Modi. The mutual admiration of these two strong leaders is well-known. In Karnataka, the Congress is already discredited and the people are already disappointed by its governance. Modi now has plans to bring back Yeddy into the BJP fold. In fact, it was division of votes caused by Yeddyurappa that caused BJP’s defeat not due to the scams as media portrayed. BJP+ Yeddy’s Karnataka Janata Paksh have won close to 50 seats together and have lost nearly 30 seats due to the competition between them. Had they been united they could have got up to 80 seats. No one knows this better than Narendra Modi. If his party’s tally improves even marginally in the south and allies like Jaya and Babu get enough seats, he stands a better chance of becoming a prime minister.